Proven
by Madman007
Summary: What happened after the remaining Avengers found Captain Marvel standing directly behind them? How did Captain Marvel find Tony in space.
1. Chapter 1

[_Author's note:_ I know what you're thinking. Not another missing scene from Captain Marvel / Endgame. I realize there are many other versions in fan fic right now. It's almost as if Marvel was baiting writers to come up with their own background as to how Carol took to the Avengers and how she found Tony in space. Just think of this as my version of how I believe it took place. First part is here now. Second may be coming soon. See what you think. Enjoy and review as you see fit!]

**Proven**

**Part One**

* * *

"Where is Fury?"

It was a question that they didn't know how to answer. But their hesitancy was also because of who was doing the asking. Who was this blonde woman who now stood before them? And how did she get in the base without them knowing or without any alarms going off? They were speechless until Natasha Romanoff spotted a clue. Sort of. She noticed that the star symbol on the woman's uniform was the same that appeared on the pager that Fury activated. This was who was on the other end. And she had a connection to Fury. But Natasha had never seen her before and didn't know who she was. That was about to change.

"You know Fury." It wasn't a question.

"Obviously," the woman replied with raised eyebrows.

"But we don't know you," said Natasha.

"You will after I get my answer."

Steve Rogers replied, "That answer will be complicated."

"So will mine. Let me guess. Fury disappeared like the other half of the population of the universe. And that was courtesy of the Thanos Snap."

Most of them gasped at her knowledge of Thanos. Yet, if it took her this long to answer a mysterious page, she may not exactly have been next door to Earth.

"How did you know about Thanos?" asked Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes.

"I have my connections. Not to mention the fact that my team...my _former_ team had been tracking his actions for several years now."

Natasha asked her, "And you never caught up with him."

"He was always a step ahead of us."

"Welcome to the club," Natasha quipped.

Bruce Banner asked, "So, are we going to learn your name anytime soon? We know nothing about you, which tends to be a nuisance around us."

Natasha spoke before the woman could answer. "Wait, Bruce. I know a few things already." She addressed the woman. "You know about Thanos and his obsession with the Infinity Stones. You know he collected all of them and made the snap that wiped out half the population of Earth. You knew Director Fury at some point in the past. Judging by the age of the pager here, I'm thinking early to mid 1990s. And you answered the page that he sent before he..." Natasha stopped.

The woman finished. "Before he vanished." She sniffed and looked down at the floor. She then nodded and said, "Not bad. That'll earn you some fill-in-the-blank answers. My name is Carol Danvers. I did know Fury when I was here in 1995. He was at a desk job at S.H.E.I.L.D. when I knew him. He's Director now? Nice."

Bruce answered almost embarrassingly, "Not exactly."

"It's complicated," said Natasha.

"I know about complicated." She paused and admitted, "Thanos didn't just affect C-53...er, I mean Earth. The snap was universal. My team and I were tracking his whereabouts on Knowhere when they suddenly..." Carol breathed in and out and she said, "They disappeared into dust. Right before my eyes. I knew all of the stones were collected. I was too late. I received Fury's page not long after that. I was hoping that, because he could send the page, he would still be here. I came back as soon as I could."

Rhodey asked her, "So now that you're here, how can you help?"

Carol turned to face him. "I have abilities."

"We all have abilities," said Steve.

"Not like mine."

Bruce said, "My, aren't we full of ourselves."

"Excuse me for being confident. So, are there plans to go after Thanos and the stones, or are you all too stunned to see me?"

Steve scoffed and said, "Look, Carol, they may do things differently outside of this galaxy, but on this planet we're more careful when we plan dangerous missions."

"Sorry. I'm a bit more of a 'on the fly' type of planner. For the record, I am originally from here. Was in the military, in fact."

Rhodey moved over in front of her. "Wait a minute. _Captain_ Carol Danvers. That name sounds familiar. Air Force?"

"Correct."

"You were a flyer."

"Two for two."

Rhodey paused in thought and mentioned, "You were reported dead in a crash. I was still a cadet at Edwards when that happened."

"Don't believe everything that's been redacted. My...survival was highly classified and it never happened."

"What did happen? And how did you end up in space?" Rhodey asked.

"Long story. Speaking of which, I gave you my name but none of you gave me yours. As Hannibal Lector used to say, quid pro quo?"

Natasha said her name and added, "Code name: Black Widow. Former Russian spy and assassin."

"Captain Steve Rogers. Or Captain America."

"Bruce Banner."

"Hulk," Natasha added for him.

"Not lately," he shot back.

"I won't ask," Carol smirked.

"Colonel James Rhodes. Rhodey. But I like War Machine better."

"Cute," Carol said. "You gave all of your call signs as well."

Steve said, "They're not call signs. They're who we are. We are all part of the Avengers Initiative."

Carol grinned and said, "Avengers? Fury named that, didn't he?"

"Yes. How did you know?" Steve asked.

Carol shook her head. "When Fury comes back, I'm going to hit him. My call sign as a pilot here was 'Avenger'. Fury must have seen that back then and borrowed it. So, you're all welcome to use it." She paused before asking, "Is this all of your team?"

Natasha stated, "No. Many are unaccounted for."

"I figured as much. Are they all...gone?"

"Unknown," replied Steve. "We have a video record of Tony Stark, Dr Stephen Strange, and Peter Parker on a strange ship that came from another world. It attacked New York."

"What kind of ship?" asked Carol.

"We don't really know," said Steve.

Bruce said, "It was the shape of a big donut."

Carol shut her eyes and muttered, "Ebony Maw."

"Who?" cried Natasha.

"One of the many allies of Thanos. Extremely powerful."

Bruce said, "Yeah, I was there. I remember him. Creepy dude. Dr. Strange tried to fight him but he was captured. Tony and Peter went after them. The ship disappeared into space."

"Have any idea of its destination?"

"We don't," said Steve. "How could we know? We have no point of origin. We can detect signals from deep space but we can't track them with the equipment we have."

"Understood," Carol said. She raised her left arm and fiddled with a panel on her wrist. "Locate Ebony Maw." A 3D image was projected from the panel and it showed a grotesque alien.

"That's him," cried Bruce.

A computerized voice from the panel stated, "Cannot locate Ebony Maw. Deceased."

Carol said, "That could be a good sign."

Steve stated, "Unless the ship was destroyed. Along with a few stowaways."

Carol asked, "What were the other names? Tony Stark?" She paused and asked, "Any relation to Howard Stark, the weapons developer?"

"Father. Tony is his son," Natasha supplied.

"Locate Tony Stark," Carol commanded the panel.

"Insufficient data."

Carol scowled. Steve then said, "Try Iron Man."

"Seriously?" Carol repeated the term to the panel.

The panel gave a short bio on Iron Man and then stated, "Location: unknown." Carol cursed.

Rhodey smirked. "Not exactly a reliable resource."

"It usually is. The problem is that if Maw is dead but the others can't be located, it would be near impossible to track it from here. It could have gone into one of the dark quadrants."

They could hear a voice coming from the other room that was approaching. Within seconds, a short and fully standing raccoon entered the room. It was fiddling with something. And then it spoke. "Hey, I found these pair of cool sunglasses out on the Wakanda battlefield. You think whoever they belonged to will miss 'em?" He looked up and he spotted Carol. Both of them widened their eyes at each other. The raccoon yelled, "Kree Starforce! Get down!" He went for his pistol in his holster and fired a few shots at Carol.

None of them were expecting the next action. A strange yellow glow began to envelope around Carol. Her eyes were replaced by two bright lights. The bullets from the pistol found their target, yet they ricocheted off Carol as if they hit a brick wall. She then raised her right arm and formed a fist. Another yellow light formed around her hand that was even brighter. A burst of energy was thrust out of her arm and it hit the raccoon dead on. He was thrown backwards into the air to land at the opposite wall.

She walked over to him as the yellow glow faded away. He was just getting himself back up when she gasped, "Fur-face?"

"Captain Marvel," he greeted with a grunt.

"You're the last one I expected to see here."

"Back at you. You come all this way to arrest me? Again?"

"I don't know, have you done anything illegal lately?" She chuckled. "What am I saying? Of course you have."

"Hey, I'm here for my friends."

"_You_ have friends? Wait, didn't you used to hang out with a Groot?"

"_Did_. As in past tense. He's sorta not here anymore. Or anywhere else for that matter."

Carol's expression changed from jest to sour in an instant. "I'm sorry."

Steve said, "I take it you know each other?"

Carol replied, "Yeah, Rocket and I have crossed paths a few times."

Bruce asked her, "Was that your special ability?"

"Part of it."

"What's the other part?" asked Rhodey.

"Longer story," she answered.

Rocket asked her, "So you're all up to speed with all things Thanos?"

"So far. We have no clue where he is right now. But now, the Avengers' priority is finding the rest of their team. Hey, you could help. Do you have an intergalactic map on your ship?"

"I do, but my ship isn't here."

Carol crinkled her brow. "How did you get here?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I've been trying to tinker with some of the things around here to come up with a map or a tracking system. Forget it. The equipment here is primitive crap."

"Hey," cried Bruce.

Natasha added, "Tony's things are pretty advanced."

"For this planet, maybe," Rocket said.

Carol said to Rocket, "Don't know, Fur-face. I was able to retro fit an intergalactic holographic communicator with parts from Radio Shack. Twenty years ago."

Rocket pleaded, "A comm unit is one thing. You and your StarForce had your nifty little codes that only worked with that specific equipment. But a navigational map and tracer? That needs a-"

"A source code," Carol finished in a defeated tone. "Which I was hoping you had on your ship."

"A source code?" questioned Steve.

Carol answered, "Yeah. Think of it as an intergalactic Yellow Pages. And we don't exactly have a listed phone number." She used her panel on her arm to type in more data. She brought up what looked like a galaxy of various planets.

Steve noted, "Looks like you have a map there."

"Don't get excited, Mr. America. This just shows one point in the Andromeda galaxy. I was hoping it could show me a trajectory of a course when Ebony Maw's ship left Earth."

Steve grinned. "It's _Captain_ America."

"Oh, I'll never remember that." She grinned at him.

Rocket gasped. "Wait. Maw was here?"

"Yeah, he attacked New York," answered Carol.

"I don't know what that is," the raccoon said.

"Big, big city," replied Carol.

Natasha was more direct. "We think he was here to collect one of the Infinity stones."

Bruce asked, "The Time Stone. Strange protected it in a necklace around his neck."

"And now Maw has it when he captured Strange." Steve's voice sounded defeated.

Rocket added, "Thanos got the Power stone when he leveled Xandar."

"I know." Carol's voice was tight with anger. "My team arrived too late there. He and his army took out Nova Corps."

Steve wondered. "Could Thanos be near this Xandar?"

Carol sighed. "Negative. Thanos rarely goes back to places he's already defeated."

Natasha was thinking logically. "If Maw was commanded by Thanos to collect the Time Stone, then they would have set up a rendezvous point."

"Where would that be?" asked Bruce.

Carol glanced at the nearby computer. She nodded at it. "How far out can that reach?"

"We've already tried reaching as far into deep space as we can with it." Steve's confidence was wearing thin.

"Forget it, Marvel," began Rocket. "You're lucky if you can even reach Alpha quadrant with that thing."

Bruce made a suggestion. "What about the pager? It reached all the way out to you, didn't it?"

"And that's the problem," Carol replied. "I programmed it years ago so it would only contact me. It only has a linear chip, not a universal one."

"There is a simple answer, Captain," said Rocket confidently.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me, Fur-face."

"Where's the one remote place that Thanos and Maw can plan their galactic dominance with all of the Power gems?"

Carol stopped in thought a moment and then uttered, "Titan."

"What is Titan?" asked Rhodey.

"It's his homeworld," answered Carol. "It was devastated by a natural catastrophe decades ago. Thanos was the only one who survived. And it is the perfect place for a rendezvous. What if your team were stuck on Maw's ship and the course was preset to Titan?"

Natasha followed Carol's thought. "Then Tony, Strange, and Peter fought Thanos alone."

Rocket said, "Maybe they weren't alone. Before me and Thor went off to forge a weapon to defeat Thanos, Quill and the others went to Knowhere to get the Reality gem before Thanos did."

"It was too late. My team and I were on Knowhere and it was also devastated."

"What is this nowhere you guys keep talking about?" asked Rhodey.

"Long story," said Rocket.

"You guys have a lot of long stories," Rhodey said.

Steve kept back to the discussion. "So, Thanos succeeded in getting five of the Infinity stones. There would be only one more Infinity stone left to collect."

"The Mind stone," said Natasha. "Vision."

Steve reflected sadly. "I saw Thanos rip out the stone from Vision's head."

"And Wanda disappeared with the rest of them," said Natasha.

Carol didn't want to dismiss their remembrances, but there was a mission to plan. She told them, "I don't mean to degrade your friends, but if they were defeated on Titan, and assuming they weren't affected by the snap, how would they have escaped?"

They all were silent without an answer. But Rocket came up with a possibility.

"If the Guardians were there, they would have access to a ship."

"What kind of ship?" asked Carol.

"M-class."

Carol raised one eyebrow at the raccoon warrior. "A Ravenger ship?"

"It's Quill's ship. Although, I keep it running. He even named it something weird. The _Benatar_."

Carol grinned. "The _Benatar_?"

Natasha also smiled. "I take it this Quill is originally from here."

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Rocket asked.

Natasha shrugged. "Wild guess."

Carol joked, "Hit me with your best shot."

"Such a heartbreaker," followed Natasha. She and Carol gave an inside joke nod.

Carol went back to serious. "This ship, is it a standard jump drive?"

"More than standard, thanks to me. It could make Antares from here in three jumps."

"So, average, then," quipped Carol, ignoring the grunt from Rocket. "If they tried to jump from Titan, they may not be as far out as I thought. Assuming they're alive."

"Assuming they haven't disappeared," said Steve.

"And assuming the ship isn't damaged or destroyed," said Rocket.

"There's a bit too much assuming here," said Rhodey.

"We have to take that chance," said Natasha. "I'd rather know than to be kept in the unknown."

"I agree," said Carol. "Look, I know all of you just met me. We have a common connection with Fury. But this Devastation has affected the whole universe. It's affected me with my team vanishing. I can't imagine not knowing if my team made it or not. You guys deserve to know. I told Fury to page me only in extreme emergencies."

"I think this qualifies," said Rhodey.

"Yes, it does," agreed Carol.

"Thank you, Carol," said Natasha.

"Don't thank me yet."

Steve asked, "Do you think you can find them?"

Carol sighed. "With Titan, at least I have some pinpoints to look for. A Ravenger ship would stand out in that area. Ravengers never go near Titan." She blew out a breath and then said, "I better get going. I'll get you your answers. Hopefully, I'll come back with your team members."

Steve edged closer to her. "Carol, when's the last time you slept?"

She sighed again. "Not sure. Time here is different from other galaxies."

Steve said, "I think you need a rest before you take off again."

"I work better on the run."

The Captain said back, "As one soldier to another, I happen to know that is a lie. Now, being that we're apparently the same rank of Captain, I can't order you to stay the night before your mission is a go."

"Seriously? You're going to pull rank on me? That's a first in quite a while."

"I can't talk," said Rhodey. "You both outrank me."

Carol thought a moment and finally admitted, "If I sleep now, I'm not sure I would ever wake up. Doesn't exactly make me a good soldier."

Steve smiled. "No. It makes you an Avenger.

* * *

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Proven**

**Part 2**

* * *

Refreshed.

It was a feeling that Carol Danvers had not felt in quite a while. She sat up in the comfortable bed that came with the quarters of the Avengers' base of operations. It also had been a while since she had woken up on her own home world. The last time was a decade ago when she came back to Earth to attend the high school graduation of Monica Rambeau. Carol figured that Monica would be at Edwards by now. Provided that she and her mom, Maria, were not affected by The Snap.

Carol quickly ejected that thought out of her head. She had to suppress an urge to head to Edwards and Louisiana to check on them. But Maria and Monica were not part of the mission. Her priority was to find the missing members of the Avengers.

She brought her legs over the edge of the bed and uttered, "Priorities suck."

She dressed back into her uniform and headed out to the kitchen. She saw the former Russian spy, Natasha, sitting at the table alone. She had a blank stare looking at nothing in particular. Carol gave her a quick morning greeting. Natasha mumbled something that was barely audible.

Carol spotted the coffee maker on the main counter and quickly poured herself a cup. She sipped it, savoring the taste. "Ahh, I miss coffee. There's a similar drink on Quasar, but it's not the same." She sat down at the table opposite Natasha. Carol saw that the mug in front of her lacked the steam of a hot beverage.

Carol asked, "Aren't you drinking yours?"

"It's gotten too cold," Natasha said absently.

"Well, that's no problem." Carol cupped Natasha's mug in her palm. The same yellow glow appeared around her hand. Within seconds, the beverage was steaming hot again. Carol released her grip on the mug.

Natasha quipped, "That's certainly a handy power."

"I'm a hit at camping trips." They laughed.

Natasha asked, "What's the source of your powers? And don't say 'long story'"

"Fine. Short version is that I got hit with a great power source after I destroyed it."

"Must have been quite a power source."

"It was part of the power from the Tesseract. I found out much later that it had an Infinity Stone inside of it."

Natasha nodded. "The Space Stone."

Carol raised her brow. "You're familiar with it?"

"All too well. Years ago, it created a multi-dimensional portal that allowed aliens to come through and attack New York. I used a staff with the Mind Stone inside a gem to close the portal."

Carol nodded. She then stated, "When I was here in '95, I told Fury to keep the Tesseract here on Earth. My team took years to try and find the other stones. Never occurred to me that another one would also be here."

"You have a tight crew?"

Carol gave a grin. "The best. They're all from different parts of the galaxy. All with different skills. There was a refugee on Torfu who I rescued. She and I became good friends over the years through many adventures." Carol blew out a long breath. "I watched her and my team literally turn to dust in front of me. Thanos was playing God. But there was no reasoning in the choices of who was erased. Was it random? After it happened, I kept thinking, why wasn't I erased? Why weren't you erased, or Captain America? Or, Heaven forbid, Rocket. I have friends here on Earth who I don't know if they're gone or still here."

Natasha said, "I was thinking the same thing after it happened. Worst part wasn't just that I saw my friends disappear. I was here on Earth when he made the Snap. I saw it happen. And we could have stopped him. We almost did."

"Don't blame yourself. Thanos planned this all of his life. By the time we got wind of it, he was already ahead of us in getting the stones."

Natasha ran her hands through her hair. She took a sip of her coffee. "I'm starting to believe that it would have been better if Thanos had erased _everyone_ from the universe. That way, the half who are still here now don't have to be in this world living with the cruelty of seeing their loved ones being taken from them."

After a brief moment of silence between them, Rocket entered the kitchen. He had in his hand what looked like a half eaten chicken leg. "Hey, guys. I gotta tell ya, you do have some decent food on this planet."

Natasha looked closer at the food in his hand. Her mouth gaped before she cried, "That was chicken we had last week! Did you take that out of the garbage?"

"Oh, so that's what the bin with the food and papers was for." He took another bite of the leg. "Still good."

"Gross."

Carol deadpanned, "I can't say that I'm surprised."

Rocket threw the remains of the bone in another bin of garbage and he sat himself at the table. Natasha took a large gulp of coffee and got up from the table. "I have some things to attend to. Thanks for the reheated coffee, Carol. When you're done here, come down to the main hangar."

Carol gave a nod of acknowledgement. After she left, Carol turned to Rocket and said wryly, "I hope you're being civil here on my home world."

"I can be civil."

She gave him a glare as she tilted her head. "Says the thief who tried to steal the golden dentures of King Velos on Colaxia."

"Hey, those would have made a fortune on the black market."

"Too bad we caught you."

"Yeah, you got lucky."

"No luck involved. Just followed the mistakes of a poor crew."

"Yeah? Sue me."

"You're _really_ speaking like a Terran, now."

"Hey, listen. I worked on a transmitter last night to try to get a signal to the _Benatar_."

"How did you do that?"

"Well, there was an intergalactic chip already here that I didn't know about."

Carol was confused. "The only chip like that here would be...No! You didn't."

"I only borrowed it."

She leaned forward on the the table. "You took the chip from the pager I gave Fury years ago?"

"Well, I figured since you already answered it and since you're already here..."

Carol sat back in her chair. "You are so passed civil right now." She breathed out and then asked, "All right, what did you find out?"

"Not much and a lot."

"You lost me."

"I tried bouncing a signal directly into the _Benatar's_ nav-com, which worked. Sorta. The only thing that came back was a low pulsing sound."

Carol raised her eyebrows. "So we can rule out that the ship was destroyed."

"That's not the only thing. The signal was too weak to make out a location vector. But because I'm getting back a low pulse, means that the ship's power is low."

Carol thought a moment. "So the ship is either sitting powerless somewhere on, say Titan..."

"Or it's sitting dead in space."

"If that's true, then life support is low too." She quickly ejected herself out of her seat. "I have to go. Now!"

She left the kitchen to head down to the main hangar on the base. She saw Captain America, Rhodey, and Natasha standing nearby a large aircraft. It looked familiar to Carol. She stopped in front of them while ogling the jet. "What is this?"

Steve answered, "An advanced prototype quinjet. Bruce swears she is space worthy."

"Ah, now I remember. I flew a similar craft back in '95 with Fury. Thrusters were much larger. Fins were less streamlined."

Rhodey said, "I don't remember the quinjets back then being space worthy."

Carol shrugged. "We had to improvise."

"How?" Rhodey asked.

Carol began, "It's a–"

"Long story," they all said in unison.

"Cute." Carol grinned.

Steve said, "We're letting you borrow it to help you find the rest of our team."

Carol tried to stiffle a chuckle, but failed.

Rocket was standing next to her and asked Carol, "They didn't see you arrive, did they?"

Instead of answering him, she addressed the Avengers. "Look, that's so sweet and greatly appreciated. But it's really not needed. And, honestly, it would slow me down."

Rhodey went wide-eyed. "Slow you down? Carol, this thing can go past hypersonic. Maybe even close to Mach 10."

"It's impressive, I'll admit," Carol said. "But I really do have to go quicker than that. The _Benatar _may be losing power and that won't be good for your team." She started to walk out towards the open area behind her. "I'll return as soon as I can. I'll have your answers, one way or another."

"Thank you, Carol," said Natasha.

"Carry on, soldier," said Steve.

Rhodey was still confused. "That's all great, but where's your ship?"

Carol only grinned again and then turned around to break into a run. As she started running, the yellow glow surrounded her and got brighter with her speed. She was going faster than humanly possible. The bright yellow glow became a solid yellow trail. It suddenly went straight up into the sky. Within seconds, Carol Danvers disappeared into the Heavens.

The remaining Avengers stood gaping at the sky where Carol sped off on her own.

Rocket chuckled. "You see, Captain Marvel don't need a ship. She _is_ the ship!"

* * *

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Proven**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Carol was back in flight once again. She didn't need jump points to travel through space. She could travel at light speed on her own power through her "binary" form. She couldn't recall who gave it that name. But it fit. It was as good as any term to describe her ability to harness the power of her cosmic energy within her to fly through space without a suit. Right now, it was protecting her from the vacuum of space. She wore her helmet down. Not that she needed to. For longer interstellar trips, Carol preferred it down. She felt more safe that way. She blamed the human side of her for that feeling.

Her mind drifted to the team she met on Earth. The Avengers. There was no doubt that Fury named them after her own call sign when she was fully human in the US Air Force. That was a lifetime ago. Although Carol had not witnessed the Avengers in action yet, she was confident that they were capable. They seemed determined. And cocky. Just like herself. And yet, they were also in pain. Just like herself. Pain was now truly universal.

She finally entered the system that held the desolate homeworld of Thanos. Titan. There was zero to little activity in this part of the system. Electrical anomalies had destroyed nearly all life here. It had once been a thriving community among the mighty Titans. That was before her time. It was now a wasteland filled with nothing but rock and ruins. There were hints here and there of the civilization it had once been. Now there were only ghosts.

She started a scan of the area before she landed. She needed to find traces of a battle that may have occurred on the surface. Within a matter of minutes, she found that trace. And it was huge. An enormous mound of rock laid out in one area. The color was darker than the orange-brown rock of Titan. She landed near it and picked up a sample to analyze it. It wasn't indigenous to Titan. This rock didn't belong here. When the full analysis was complete, she did a double take. The mound of rock had been part of one of Titan's moons. How did it end up here on Titan?

An Infinity stone.

It was the only possible answer. Thanos could have used any combination of Infinity stones to bring down a moon onto the surface here. The Power stone may be the most likely one. Carol was powerful herself, but she still dreaded the thought of going against any one of the Infinity stones, despite that one of them was the source of her powers. She walked around the area to detect more hints of a battle. There were several tracks in the ground that suggested there was a great battle. Just as the Avengers thought, there were several from their team and the Guardians of the Galaxy who were involved. The question was, where were they? Had they all disappeared after The Snap?

The mere thought of Thanos bringing down a moon during battle and snapping half of the population of the universe out of existence made her grit her teeth. She couldn't wait to get her hands around his neck. Thanos may have seen people with great power here. He had not felt her power yet.

While she continued to walk around the battlefield, her foot stumbled on a piece of metal. She cursed before facing down to look at it. It was a flat piece of hard metal. Maybe titanium. The surface was painted mostly red with the upper part a golden yellow. Inside the yellow painted surface was one eye that was a clear lens. One end looked to be broken off with circuitry sticking out in a random frenzy. A mask. Or at least part of one. She suspected its origin but she needed confirmation.

Carol spoke into the computer on her wrist. "Scan and analyze. Give approximate dimension of completed piece." Her computer scanned the piece of metal and within a few minutes, it formed a holographic image on her wrist. It was indeed a mask. She asked, "Give probability that this piece belonged to Iron Man."

The scanner read: _Probability at 89.67%_.

Good enough for her. So he was here. Or rather, part of his mask was. Either the other part was somewhere in the rock, or it was with him. Yet, Tony Stark, or anyone else, were nowhere to be seen on Titan. Her fears almost turned to be true until she realized what Rocket suggested. The _Benatar_!

She commanded the computer, "Locate evidence of an M-Class Ravenger craft." Instead of announcing its results, the computer created an image on her wrist of a bright yellow trail on the ground. Carol followed it, looking more at the physical ground. She finally saw landing gear tracks in the rock. The ship was clearly gone now. But it had once been here. Which meant someone had to have piloted it off of Titan. Someone who was not dusted away.

She commanded the computer, "Measure plasma exhaust. Form a trajectory trace." Instantly, an image on her wrist formed a bright red trail that started on the ground at one end and then reached into the sky and off of Titan.

Carol smiled and cried out, "Bingo!"

Carol was back in flight as she followed the red trail of exhaust from the _Benatar_. Her hopes were high that she could catch up to the ship. And Tony Stark. Iron Man. The Avengers would have their hope. Not as much as they would like, but enough. She travelled a short distance when her hopes were shattered. The red trail had abruptly ended. She hovered in space. She asked her computer to locate the ship itself. It came back with unknown data. She cursed. She looked beyond in space where the trail could have gone. No plasma trail meant no more plasma to supply the engines. There were no systems in the area that wouldn't require a jump or two. That would also require fuel. No fuel on the ship. It was drifting in space. But where? How long had it been drifting? She decided to carefully follow the path that would have been if it hadn't have stopped. Several minutes later, she found it.

The _Benatar_. It was indeed floating with no power in space. She did a quick scan. She confirmed there was no fuel. There were some lights still showing. Life support on the ship was at minimal power. There were two humanoid beings detected on the ship. Two. Out of how many? Nevertheless, they needed help.

Carol approached the front end of the ship carefully. She saw through the glass of the cockpit. A human male was sitting at the pilot seat. She could see him stare at her as she reached closer. His mouth gaped in disbelief. Carol was used to those looks of incredibility. The looks from people who almost denied the fact that they were finally about to be rescued. Their savior had come. Carol Danvers never felt like a savior.

She hovered close to the edge of the cockpit. The male raised a hand with his palm out as if to wave hello. She waved back at him. She went around to the main entrance and passed through the metal through her concentration into Binary form. She ended up on the inside of the Benatar on the main deck. The other humanoid was there. The being was primarily blue in color and it looked more like a human-android hybrid.

It approached her and said in a flat, feminine voice, "Who are you? You dress like a Kree StarForce member, but you are not one of them."

"Correct. Haven't been for quite some time now. Have we met? You look familiar."

"I am too well known in this galaxy. I am called Nebula. I am the daughter of Thanos."

"Well, that's just unfortunate. Hope you realize your father is the number one enemy of the universe right now."

"Correction. _I_ am his number one enemy."

The human in the cockpit came stumbling onto the main deck. He was bearded with blood and sweat all over his body from multiple wounds and bruises. His clothing was tattered. There was a strange circle of light glowing where his heart would be. It looked to be fading. This man looked like he had been through a battle. Perhaps he had a moon thrown at him.

When he finally caught his breath, he said to Carol, "Hi. How did you get here?"

"Under my own power. And some deducing. I was sent here by your team."

"Team?"

"Yes, I believe you call them the Avengers."

He chuckled. "One time I did. Now, not so much."

"Right. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Tony Stark, I presume?"

"You presume correct, Dr. Livingston. Or do you go by another name?"

She grinned and said, "My name is Carol Danvers and I'm here to rescue you."

Tony winced. "Please, no _Star Wars_ references. Too painful right now."

Carol took the time to look at both of them. "Are you two the only ones left? I just left Titan. I saw the battlefield."

"Yes," answered Nebula. "Everyone else...is gone."

Tony asked, "What about the Avengers? Who's left there?"

Carol started listing the people with whom she met at the base. When she got to Steve Rogers, Tony gave a sardonic chuckle.

"Of course. He _would_ survive."

Carol raised an eyebrow. "Something between you and the Captain?"

"Long story."

Carol scoffed. "Heard that before."

"Then try this. How is it you can fly in space with nothing but a yellow glow around you?"

"Another long story. Short version is that I blew up a fusion engine powered by the Tesseract, which I'm sure you're familiar with."

Tony rolled his eyes. "The Tesseract. The original culprit that started all this mess. Wait, when was this when you blew up the engine and gained powers?"

"1989. Earth. I was an Air Force pilot. I was taken by the Kree after the explosion. Made me into one of them. They tried to harness my power. Didn't work. Met Fury in 1995. He started writing a certain Initiative then. Oh, and side note. My pilot call sign was Avenger."

Tony chuckled with more humor this time. "And here we are full circle. And Fury?" Carol slightly shook her head. Tony let out a sigh. "That's just perfect."

"I'm sorry to be a bearer of more bad news."

"No, it's fine. It's just that when I saw you through the cockpit...I thought...with all of your yellow glory...and me being near death with a serious case of lack of oxygen..." Tony cleared his throat before he said in quick succession, "I thought you were an angel."

"Well, that's a new one."

"I know, it's stupid."

"No, it's actually a compliment."

"So how does your power work?"

Carol shrugged. "The power from the fusion engine made by the Tesseract was absorbed into me after I destroyed it. It created a cosmic energy that I can summon to throw photon blasts. It also allows me to engulf myself into that cosmic energy so much that it protects me from the vacuum of space. It also allows me to destroy things as large as ships or missiles."

"Power augmentation. Mass of one energy source is transferred to another greater mass. You were able to literally pass through these walls of the ship through exothermic manipulation. You matched your cosmic energy with those of the atoms inside the ship by the heat you produce. And you can do the opposite by repelling those atoms and destroying them. I figure you could destroy this ship in a matter of seconds."

"I don't want to."

"That's good to know."

"Never has my ability been so scientifically explained before."

"Well, you're talking to a genius now."

"Uh huh," was Carol's reaction. "Some people around me refer to my extreme power mode as binary."

"Binary. Power of a star. Fits perfectly."

Nebula interjected, "Speaking of power, this ship needs some."

Carol said, "Yes, my analysis stated you were out of fuel."

"Worse. Fuel cells are out," Tony said. "And it's not only affecting the power of the plasma engine, but also life support. So, out of the three of us, I guess I'll be the first to suffocate. Yay me."

"I won't let that happen," stated Carol. "Life support and the fusion reactor are on separate systems." She walked back to the engine room with the others following her. Carol stood before the life support controls. She saw the tank of oxygen and it's levels depleting quick. There was no power to create more oxygen. She looked at the generator that powered the tanks. The contact points were so cold that crystals formed around them. "All you need is power to regenerate the oxygen into the tanks."

"Yes, but we have no power," said Nebula.

Carol gave a quick glance at Tony, who smiled and said, "We do now."

"Exothermic manipulation," repeated Carol. She touched the end of the contact points while her hand glowed yellow. Her energy surged through the generator and heated it to a point where it started to run again. The tanks slowly began to refill with oxygen. Almost instantly, there was new air flowing through the vents.

Tony took a deep breath. "Ah, Ms Danvers, you are a true Life Saver."

"Thanks, but there's nothing I can do with the engine."

"Right," said Tony. "No matter how much power you give the fusion engine, without the fuel cells it can't sustain enough energy for the plasma coils. Trust me, we tried."

"It sucks," cried Nebula.

Tony and Carol reacted to Nebula's choice of Earth terminology. Tony stated, "I'm rubbing off on her."

"You are not."

"Yeah? Well, who kept finally winning at paper football? I'd say my attempt to make you semi-human is close to succeeding."

Nebula lunged at Tony. She reached for her knife and brought it up to his neck. "You are not making me human. I am nothing like you."

"You know, maybe it's the new air in my lungs, or maybe it's your genetics with daddy. But you're a raving lunatic."

"I'll show you madness." She made to edge the blade closer to his neck when Carol intervened. Carol stood in between them and she held onto the blade. She sent a photon blast through her arm that sent both of them to the grated floor of the ship.

"Enough! We have work to figure out," Carol cried.

As Tony struggled to stand, he said, "That is one dandy of a power. Would have been nice to use against a certain Titan with most of the Infinity Stones. Makes me wonder. Where were you, Carol, while the rest of us were getting dusted away into oblivion?"

She breathed out her frustration over his judgmental question. "I was busy watching my own team get dusted into oblivion. Same as you did. I understand your grief, Tony. And your pain. You have to own them. Or they will own you."

Tony hesitated as he calmed himself. "Point taken." He rubbed his hands through his hair. "All right, problem at hand. How do we get us and this ship back to Earth."

Nebula stated, "It would take a few jumps. This ship can't handle one jump without power."

Carol thought for a moment. "On its own power, no. But it could borrow mine. Guess it would help if I got out and pushed."

Tony said, "Please tell me that's just another _Star Wars_ reference."

She grinned. "Technically, it's _Empire_. I can push it through the jumps through my binary form. The navigational controls are still functional, right?" Nebula nodded. "Fine. I can do it."

Tony pleaded, "Carol, the power alone.."

"I can handle. You don't know how much cosmic energy is coursing through me, Tony. Besides, I've done it before. You two settle in for a rough ride. I'll get you home."

Nebula reflected sadly, "I...I no longer have a home."

Carol assured her. "You know, there was someone else I met on Earth from this galaxy. Rocket Raccoon."

"Wouldn't consider him a friend."

"He could be. He lost a few friends, too."

"Yes. His friend...the Groot?" Carol shook her head grimly. "I see."

"You both have losses to share. Now, if you both can excuse me, I have a ship to carry out of this galaxy." She motioned to exit when Tony stopped her.

"Carol...I'm sorry. About before. You're right. I can't judge where you were during our battle."

"Something to think about when you speak to Steve."

"Yeah, well, that's a whole different plate of shawarma."

"Well, maybe we can plan on killing Thanos and getting the stones back to reset all of this. You never know, it could be therapeutic."

Nebula cried, "I'm in for that."

"Of course, you would," said Tony. He addressed Carol. "Let's tackle one problem at a time. And here I thought I was going to Heaven an hour ago."

"Well, you know what they say. Heaven _is_ a place on Earth."

Tony sneered. "Thanks, Ms. Carlisle."

Carol stood next to the wall of the ship and began to engulf herself inside her cosmic energy. She then absorbed herself through the walls and into space.

They were on their way.

* * *

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

**Proven**

_**Part 4**_

* * *

**Tony Stark's funeral - five years later**

For a handful of times in her life, Carol Danvers felt alone. She was among the many people whose lives were touched by Tony Stark. Now that number had been increased to the population of the universe, thanks to Tony's final sacrifice. She knew some of them here, fought with them on the battlefield, but she still felt distant from them. She hadn't always felt like an outcast. There was a time in her life when she was the life of the party. She and Maria Rambeau. The Trouble Twins, as they were dubbed in their days in the Air Force.

That life itself was distant to Carol.

Carol watched as they all consoled one another. It was strange how one death brought people closer. Tony affected people that way anyway. Her thoughts ran to her own team far away in another galaxy. They had been brought back courtesy of the first snap by Bruce Banner, along with half the population of the galaxy. If Thanos had his way this time around, he would have obliterated the _entire_ population of the universe. Tony put a wrench in that plan. And all was right again. Or close enough. Now, Thanos himself had been whisked away out of existence.

And the universe was saved.

Yet, Carol couldn't help thinking that Tony wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself if only she could have stopped Thanos. She had their fight on permanent replay since it happened. She counted many moves she could have made or shouldn't have made that would make the result different. Yet, no matter how many she counted, it was all too late now.

As if it was his mission to interrupt her thoughts, Nick Fury approached her. No smile. Same stoic expression. Different eye patch. She wondered why he never got that repaired.

He spoke to her. "Hey, Ms. Danvers."

"Hey, Nicholas Joseph Fury. Goose says hi, by the way." She grinned too widely.

He winced and shot back, "You know that kind of talk in front of me can get you killed."

"You can try."

His expression softened. His bluff was called. Danvers always could. "You look too deep in thought."

She looked away to the crowd inside the home. "I'm fine. Just recuperating from the battle. We didn't get to talk much at the debriefing."

"We didn't have to. Your body language alone screams out depression. Though, I don't know what you'd be depressed about since you helped save the universe."

"That was Tony Stark. And now I'm among people who were closer to him than I ever could. It's interesting that I may have learned all I needed to know about him in his final act."

Fury scoffed. "Please, that only covers New Tony. The one with a wife and daughter. Fifteen years ago, Old Tony would never have been capable of making that decision. He would have chosen an expensive Scotch and any number of attractive women first."

"Amazing how time changes people."

"Yeah, time and big ass Titan with all powerful stones that can wish away half the beings in the universe. And you know it also affects people who don't come around their home after decades and the only communication is an intergalactic pager."

Carol cracked a smile but didn't look at him. Fury's typical attempt to open up an unwanted subject. She didn't bite. She was still one of the few who didn't. She explained, "Well, the pager had been tinkered with five years ago by a certain raccoon."

"Maybe I won't need it now that you're here. Or I could call your own team now. Have you spoken to them?"

Carol moved forward to walk toward the exit of the house and Fury walked beside her. She could detect her voice almost cracking when she said, "I did speak to them. They're all back. It's been five years since I've heard their voices. They're all eager to get back to work, like nothing happened for five years. They don't remember what happened. They returned on Knowhere, the last place I saw them before they vanished." As they left the house and walked onto the lawn, she asked him, "I didn't get to ask you. Where did you return? Most returned in Wakanda or Titan."

"New York. It was strange. I remember the effects of the snap. Cars were crashing and a helicopter smashed into a building, all because there was suddenly no driver or pilot. Then Agent Hill turned to dust. Then me. But not before I could activate a certain pager. The next thing I knew, I was on the streets of New York again, but Strange was there with his sparkly portal thing saying the Avengers need help. I was on the edge of that battle and I'm glad I missed it."

"I wish I could have."

"I understand you went toe to toe with the enemy."

"I almost stopped him, Fury. He couldn't touch me. He resorted to using an Infinity Stone against me. I should have seen that coming."

Fury nodded. "Hence, your depression." She stayed silent as they stopped in a field of grass and trees nearby a lake. They were quite a distance from the funeral crowd now. Fury changed the subject again, this time less deviously.

"I assume you will be taking off and getting back to your galaxy shortly."

She paused and said, "No. I think I'll be staying longer. There's a couple here who I haven't seen in a while."

"Uh huh. And I'm guessing one of them makes a killer pot of gumbo."

She smiled at him. "You know it. Although, her best dish is her jambalaya. You know, I've been to countless planets over the years and ate many dishes on each one. But I still miss the food here."

"Food always tastes the best when you're home."

"Right on, Secret Agent Man." She paused and scowled. "You're not going to start singing, are you?"

He laughed. "No, my singing days were over years ago."

She deadpanned, "The universe is saved again."

They both allowed a space of silence pass before Fury spoke to her. "You know, Carol, you may have more friends now than you ever did. And I can guarantee that none of them blame you for Tony's death."

"_I_ do."

"Girl, get off your damn high horse! You went out of your way into space to track down the ship with Tony and that blue android girl. You brought him back here to his team and, more importantly, to his future wife. He now has a daughter because of you. Put another way, you don't bring him back, we're doing this funeral five years earlier. And if that would have happened, then _none_ of the disappeared come back, including your truly. Stop thinking of what could have been and focus on what _is_."

Carol soaked in his words. She forced a smile and said, "I...I never thought of it that way."

"Of course not. You keep thinking that everything is your responsibility. Regardless of your team in your galaxy, you're too used to doing everything alone. Now you have the Avengers, which, I may add, I named after you. See, your all mighty power is an asset but it's also your weakness. It's made your ego not believe that there are those around you that are willing to help at all costs. _That _is the true power."

Carol's eyes watered at realizing he was right. Instead of showing her emotion, she joked, "Being non-existent for five years has made you insightful."

Fury scoffed, "Who says I wasn't like that all along?"

Carol smiled and turned her head away from the view of birds flying out of the trees to the crowd at the funeral. She spotted in a tight group, Captain America, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Clint "Hawkeye" Barton, and Thor. All of them fought well on the battlefield. At the moment, their battle tactics were the farthest from their minds. She wondered if they believed she was the cause of Tony's death. She scanned the crowd and spotted Wanda Maximoff speaking with Pepper Potts Stark. Both of them also fought in the battle. She had met Pepper briefly five years ago when she brought back Tony from space. She had been so grateful to her. And Wanda. Carol witnessed her power on the battlefield and it was impressive to say the least. Perhaps it was equal or even stronger than her own. They both got their powers from an Infinity Stone, after all. Carol could imagine all of them dropping everything to help in a fight against the Earth or its people. And just like they all did against Thanos, they fought together. And like Tony said five years ago, they would lose together.

She spoke to Fury. "Something I wanted to talk to you about since the battle. I'd like to create a team for off world. Based around other galaxies. I've seen the way your Avengers fought and they're impressive. My team is great, but they're not military and they don't possess any kind of powers. And they lack the experience that the Avengers have. You're right. On most of our missions, I end up doing most of the work. Not that I care, as you know. I love doing it. Maybe too much. But like you said, I don't have to do it all on my own."

Fury followed her gaze to the group of original Avengers. "I doubt any of them would volunteer."

"Doesn't have to be them. I fought alongside some of the women. They protected me while trying to get the glove to the time machine. Wanda Maximoff, Valkyrie from Asgard, Okoye from Wakanda. Wanda, especially is powerful."

Fury chuckled. "I feel sorry for anyone going against you _and_ Maximoff." Fury reflected a moment and said, "Avengers in space. That would be a force to be reckoned with. I'll feel around for recruits. Get back with you, now that we have a more reliable communicator."

She cracked a smile before a gang of three kids of various ages came running up to her. The teenage girl spoke first. "Hi, I'm Lila Barton. These are my brothers, Cooper and Nathaniel. Our dad, Clint...Hawkeye, told us about you."

"Did he?"

The smallest boy Nathaniel burst out with, "Are you the Glowing Lady?"

Carol gave Fury a sardonic look. "Told you I have too many names."

"Looks like we can add another," Fury joked.

Lila told her brother, "No, dummy, she's a Captain."

"Actually, you can call me Carol."

The older son named Cooper said, "Dad told us you took out a whole mothership with no weapons."

"That's just it, kid. I _am_ the weapon. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah. Can we see it?" Cooper pleaded. "Your power."

"Yes, that would be awesome," said Lila.

Carol stated, "Guys, don't you think this time and place may be a bit inappropriate?"

Lila looked at the crowd. "We're far enough away. And they're not looking."

Cooper said, "And Uncle Tony would understand."

That remark hit Carol with a strange mix of remorse and anticipation of a challenge. Carol looked back at the crowd herself. None of them were paying any attention to them. Carol then looked around for a target, something further away. She found a rotting stump of a former tree near the bank of the lake. She raised her arm and fired a photon blast at it. It was destroyed within seconds. Pieces of rotten wood flew into the air and landed with several thumps. And rather loudly.

The kids were all screaming their approval and awe at the show of Captain Marvel's power. Meanwhile, the crowd at the funeral were also exclaiming startling cries of panic at hearing and seeing the blast. The group of Avengers were now heading towards her and Fury.

Fury noted, "You really know how to make an impression, Captain Marvel."

Carol ignored him and addressed the kids. "All right, guys. Demonstration's over." As the kids scurried away, Carol watched as the Avengers edged closer. She uttered, "I think I may be in trouble."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Fury quipped.

When the group stopped in front of her and Fury, Steve asked, "Danvers. Are we now taking out Evil tree stumps?"

Carol replied sheepishly, "Just using it for target practice."

Rhodey said in mock seriousness, "Tony loved that stump."

Clint was more direct. "Let me guess. Team Barton persuaded you to show off."

Carol shot back, "What? They wanted a demonstration. What was I supposed to do? Disappoint them?"

Rhodey uttered, "And lo, the spirit of Tony Stark lives on."

Thor added, "It was an impressive strike."

Clint shook his head and said, "If it's any consolation, Carol, my kids did the same thing to Wanda when they first met her."

Rhodey told him, "Maybe you should sell us short when you brag about us to your kids." Clint gave an innocent shrug.

Carol finally said, "Look, I'm sorry. I knew it would be inappropriate. But..." She trailed off.

Steve finished for her. "You saw it as a challenge to your abilities. Fittingly, that is the most Tony Stark thing you could have done. He would approve."

Clint muttered, "So would Nat. She'd be egging you on along with the kids."

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, she liked to rock the boat."

Thor said to Carol, "I believe you've proven yourself an Avenger, Captain."

Clint asked, "Does that mean she's worthy?"

Thor paused and said, "Perhaps." He glanced at Carol. "You're not touching my hammer, though."

"Won't need it," she answered. "As for the Avenger title, you guys do know it was mine before any of you decided to join." She nudged Fury. "_Someone_ lent out my call sign out without my permission."

"Hey, you were all busy with your space duties."

She looked down and reflected sadly. "Yeah well, that name belongs to someone who doesn't exist anymore."

Steve suggested, "Maybe the Avenger name could have a different meaning now?"

After Carol shrugged, Rhodey said, "Guess I can't call you New Girl anymore. You're part of the team."

"Great," she said. "Is there a ceremony? A ritual? Please tell me there's no hazing initiation."

Thor replied, "You obliterated Thanos' ship in two strikes. And you fought him and almost won if he hadn't cheated with the Power Stone. That's your initiation."

She hesitated to mention it, but felt she had to know. "If I had defeated him, Tony would still be here today."

Steve snapped, "Don't do that, Carol. You did nothing wrong. It was Tony's choice."

Clint added, "And as it happens, it was destined. Strange said Tony's sacrifice was the one scenario out of millions where we would win."

Steve said, "So, yeah, you are officially an Avenger, Captain Marvel."

"Looking forward to it."

Rhodey injected, "Except for one thing. You need a tagline. All superheroes have at least one."

Steve gave him a sideways glance. "What are you talking about?"

Rhodey looked back at Steve and said, "What am I talking about? _I can do this all day_."

Clint said, "_Language!_"

Steve laughed. "All right, all right."

"_Boom!_" said Rhodey. "That's mine."

"God of thunder," Thor roared.

Rhodey said, "Funny, I thought yours was Where's the beer?"

"Not anymore." Thor paused. "Not for at least a few weeks anyway."

Clint said, "I never had a tagline."

Fury leaned into him and cried, "Please, should I remind you about Budapest?" Clint nodded.

Carol finally said, "Guess I can't take I am Iron Man."

They all fell silent before Steve said softly, "No, that one is pretty much taken."

Carol then said, "I was kidding. I'd never take that. But finding one for me is easy. Higher, further, faster!"

They all nodded and smiled in approval.

Thor cried, "I like it!"

* * *

THE END


End file.
